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The Rice Raiders hosted the District Track Meet at their school and made sure to show off for the home crowd.
Several athletes for the Raiders had their picture taken on the podium and earned their spot in the Area Meet.
The Raiders got things started in the boys’ 3200m race where Jael Valles Serrano and Payton Englebrecht finished in 1st and 3rd place, respectively. With a time of 10 minutes and 28 seconds, Serrano was given a gold medal and the title of District Champion for his efforts.
Serrano was just getting started, though, because in the 800m race, he claimed his second District Championship. Serrano finished with a time of two minutes and one second and just behind him in 2nd and 3rd place was Hayes Dingler and Jake Morales.
Dingler finished two minutes and six seconds and a second later, Morales finished 3rd.
The Raiders racked up a lot of hardware during the hurdle events for both the boys and the girls. Tatiana Mills ran in the 110m hurdle race, and she finished with a time of 16. 45 seconds to come in 1st place and be named the District Champion.
In the 300m hurdles for the girls Fallan Wied finished in 50.50 seconds to earn 3rd pace for the Raiders and set up the boys to keep the momentum going. In both the 110m and 300m hurdles saw Tamarion Turner in the starting block for the Raiders.
Turner finished the 110m hurdles with 16.53 seconds and the 300m hurdles with 43.01 seconds. Turner came in 3rd place in the 110m hurdles and came back stronger in the 300m hurdles to take a silver medal home.
Raiders junior Jon Woods participated in the 400m race and came in 3rd place with a time of 51.66 seconds. In the 1600m the Raiders boys and girls again dominated the track.
In the girls race Lexia Rangel came in 3rd place with a time of five minutes and 48 seconds. Serrano and Englebrecht made their return to the track and Serrano collected his third District Championship of the day in the 1600m race.
Serrano finished in first place, but Englebrecht was right behind, and their times reflect that. Serrano had a time of 4:48.80 and Englebrecht had a time of 4:48.84 in one of the closest finishes of the meet.
In the field events, Robert Myers joined Serrano as a District Champion, first in the shot-put event. Myers threw the shot-put 53 feet and nine inches to claim his championship.
In the discus the girls and boys again showed up big for the Raiders. Mills competed for the girls throwing the discus 100 feet and one inch to come in 2nd place. While Dyren Johnson competed for the boys’ team and threw the discus 127 feet and 10 inches to come in 3rd place.
Then finally in the jumping events for the Raiders, Woods and Robert Bennett tied for 3rd place jump five feet and 10 inches while Turner came in 2nd for the triple jump jumping 43 feet and three inches.
The Raiders will have another chance to showcase their athleticism on their home field again at the Area Meet on Thursday, April 11, at Rice Consolidated High School.
